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When I hear/read about internet address, it is always IPv4 address or its successor IPv6 address? But as far as I know, these are not built into the internet itself. Instead, these addresses are defined and used by the IP protocol. In that case, why isn't there an alternative protocol?

If it is there, does that use a different internet address? I never heard any addresses like this!! My device's IP address is decided by my ISP. Instead if I'm using some other protocol, address for that also will be provided by my ISP?

Also, does MAC address have alternatives? For this, I think the answer is 'no'. Because, MAC address is built into the device while manufacturing. So, I want to use a different protocol, which uses a different kind of address, then entire device has to be changed! Is this correct? If not, what are the other hardware addresses like MAC?

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    There are a lot of other protocols than IP that are used in the network layer. There not many ISPs supporting them though, so if you'd like to run something like DECnet over your normal connection, you'd probably have to tunnel it. Commented Aug 30, 2022 at 20:38
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    IP stands for Internet Protocol. The Internet requires IP. MAC addresses are used by some (the IEEE) data-link protocols, but there are other data-link protocols that use other or no addressing. Frame relay uses DLCI, ATM uses VPI/VCI, PPP uses no addressing, etc. A common DSL connection uses PPPoA (PPP over ATM), so there is no MAC addressing used. Commented Aug 30, 2022 at 20:57
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    @SouravKannanthaB Not sure about that. I did a bit of DECnet network programming in the early 90's but I haven't come across it since then. Our app had one DECnet "socket" (or whatever they called it) and a number of TCP/IP sockets. All on the same network I/F. Commented Aug 30, 2022 at 22:54
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    'Not built into the Internet itself' has no meaning whatsoever. Off topic. Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 0:33
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    "if you are using internet via a different protocol, then you don't need IP address. Isn't it?" No, not at all. The Internet requires using the Internet Protocol (IP). BGP is the Internet routing protocol, and it only used IPv4 until it was extended to use IPv6 with BGP-MP, but it does not use any other network-layer protocol. Novell once wanted to create its own global network using its IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) that its Netware used, but it lost the first battle, despite its huge advantage on the business LAN, and it changed to IP, but too late in the game. Commented Sep 3, 2022 at 4:22

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Is it possible to have a communication network without IP? Sure.

But the internet, by definition, is a network of networks that use TCP/IP to communicate. IP is the gule that makes it possible to the point that you could argue that the IPv4 internet is a separate network than the IPv6 one.

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